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First off, whoever put it together really shouldn't be in the business, (sorry if it was you).

OK, I don't know how deep you want to go here but if it was me and working with what I have in the case, I'd do the following:1) Remove the IDE & SATA optical drives;2) Remove the IDE & SATA HDDs;3) Remove the floppy drive.

Then replace them in the following positions:

Given the length of the power connections this positioning should allow for all drives to be powered, (the floppy is discarded).

Otherwise we have two alternatives, both of which require some fiddling.

Option 1: Obtain a set of 3.5 to 5.25 adapter mountings and move the SATA HDD to just below the SATA optical, this would allow the SATA optical to be powered also.

This is a pair mounted on a HDD, then you just screw the HDD into a 5.25" slot.

Doing this means you could disconnect the whole IDE bus because you'd still have the SATA optical drive to install Windows with.Heck, tell me your address and I'll post you a pair

Option 2: We fix the IDE Master/Slave fiasco - the easiest but you still end up with a non-functioning SATA optical.

The problem with the IDE bus is that the HDD is the designated Master device, however it's in the wrong position on the cable to be the Master, (the Master is supposed to be on the end of the cable).

However, the Maxtor is actually in the correct position on the cable for what we want to do, ie. remove it from the system during install.

What you need to do is re-jumper the Maxtor and the IDE optical so that they get swapped around, ie. the optical becomes the Master and the Maxtor the Slave.

On the back of the Maxtor there is a small jumper block something like this, (red star over it):NOTE: The jumper block might not look exactly like this since they changed the style a few times, you'll need to tell me the exact model number so I can find a diagram.

The back of the optical drive will look like this, (thankfully they're pretty standard):

What needs to be done for both the Maxtor and the optical is to move the jumper from whatever position it is currently in to the position marked CABLE SELECT, (or CS, CSEL).On the optical picture I've marked it as the number 2, the jumper is the little thing marked 1.

This is normally a pretty easy thing to do, a bit fiddly when the drives are installed but certainly doable with a bit of patience and some needle nose pliers - the most fiddly will be the optical drive since the jumper block is on the other side of the IDE cable, (when viewed from the photo perspective). A good light and a magnifying glass might also be of benefit or a really friendly neighbour with good eyesight and a steady hand.

Don't forget, disconnect the power.

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I do not need to control my anger ... people just need to stop pissing me off!

SJ, (I know you were watching when I typed this ), any comments/ideas/alternatives?

eek! ...You work for Google?!?

Removing stuff is generally easiest ... So just unplug the IDE cable from the board, run the install with the SATA devices, and if all is well...pull the IDE device power cables. Device removal is optional.

SJ, (I know you were watching when I typed this ), any comments/ideas/alternatives?

eek! ...You work for Google?!?

Nothing so evil...but I do confess to staring at the Who's Online sometimes

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Removing stuff is generally easiest ... So just unplug the IDE cable from the board, run the install with the SATA devices, and if all is well...pull the IDE device power cables. Device removal is optional.

I think the only way to get the SATA optical going in it's current position is to unplug both IDE power plugs - I think I can see an extra SATA power connector on that lead. Otherwise there doesn't seem to be enough lead length between the any of the plugs, (molex/SATA), to enable both SATA devices to be powered.

But then after install it would need to be unplugged again due to the need to have the Maxtor working, so then the IDE optical would need to be powered again, (again because of insufficient lead length between plugs) - leaving that nice SATA optical sitting all by it's lonesome again.Aarrrgghh!

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Hell if it was my mom...I'd be lucky to get that far.

Mine too

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I do not need to control my anger ... people just need to stop pissing me off!

Removing stuff is generally easiest ... So just unplug the IDE cable from the board, run the install with the SATA devices, and if all is well...pull the IDE device power cables. Device removal is optional.

I think the only way to get the SATA optical going in it's current position is to unplug both IDE power plugs - I think I can see an extra SATA power connector on that lead. Otherwise there doesn't seem to be enough lead length between the any of the plugs, (molex/SATA), to enable both SATA devices to be powered.

But then after install it would need to be unplugged again due to the need to have the Maxtor working, so then the IDE optical would need to be powered again, (again because of insufficient lead length between plugs) - leaving that nice SATA optical sitting all by it's lonesome again.Aarrrgghh!

Oops! ...Caught me not paying attention. I was thinking the IDE was all done (and missed the power cable issue).

Pull the IDE optical drive, and move the SATA HDD to its position. Then just bolt it to one side (they don't torque-up that hard), and if it sags a bit it can't go far...it's already at the bottom. Put the SATA optical in the slot above it, now the cables reach ... And the IDE HDD can have the leftovers where it's at.

Pull the IDE optical drive, and move the SATA HDD to its position. Then just bolt it to one side (they don't torque-up that hard), and if it sags a bit it can't go far...it's already at the bottom. Put the SATA optical in the slot above it, now the cables reach ... And the IDE HDD can have the leftovers where it's at.

Nice

The IDE optical won't be used but then at 8 years old it's probably near laser-death, (depending on frequency of use).

Unplug the IDE cable from the IDE HDD during the install and then plug it back into the last plug on the cable.

No extra parts required, only a screwdriver needed - is that possible CleverCat?

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1) Remove the IDE optical, (*).2) Move the SATA HDD, (1), to where the arrow points, (bay 4), using only two screws on one side to hold it. This should be fine if the machine is not moved around a lot.3) Move the SATA optical, (2), to bay 3.4) When those two SATA devices are in position then you'll be able to plug the extra SATA power connector, (3), into the back of the SATA optical since it should reach from the SATA HDD.

Optional for neatness:a) Move the IDE connector, (4), to the IDE HDD.b) Put the IDE optical in bay 1 to plug the hole, but don't bother connecting it up.

It would be best to unplug the SATA cables, (both data and power), from the devices before moving them. Try to avoid waggling them up and down as you unplug or plug them in. They are polarised and the data connector is smaller than the power connector, looking at the back of the device you have the power connector on the left, the data on the right.

When you remove the SATA optical, (slide the opticals out through the front of the case), take the time to study both the plug and socket so you're familiar with how they go together.

« Last Edit: February 25, 2012, 03:56:29 AM by 4wd »

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I do not need to control my anger ... people just need to stop pissing me off!